Foldable traverse screen



Se t. 14, 1965 R. J. CAYTON FOLDABLE TRAVERSE SCREEN 2 Sheets-Sheet 1Filed May 29, 1965 l NVE NTOR. foaze/n/ C4y7'0/v BY Z Arroezvzxa Se t.14, 1965 R. J. CAYTON FOLDABLE TRAVERSE SCREEN 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FiledMay 29, 1963 I NVENTOR. foatem/f C4 yro/v United States Patent 3,205,935FOLDABLE TRAVERSE SCREEN Robert J. Cayton, Santa Monica, Calif.,assignor to Louverdrape, Inc, a corporation of California Filed May 29,1963, Ser. No. 284,150 6 Claims. (Cl. 160183) The present inventionrelates to a foldable traverse screen or curtain and more particularlyrelates to a foldable traverse screen which may be easily assembled andinstalled.

It is often desired to provide screens or curtains for doors or windows,or as room dividers, which are pleas ing to the eye and which can befolded into a very compact space when not in use. In order to add to theversatility of such screens and curtains, it is desirable that they becapable of being constructed of a plurality of individual parts whichmay easily be connected and disconnected to form a screen of any desiredsize for a particular installation. It is also necessary that thescreens be so constructed that they can easily be mounted on an overheadtrack and arranged so that they do not completely block the circulationof air through the room in which they are installed.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a foldabletraverse screen or curtain which may be easily assembled and installedand which folds into a compact area.

It is also an object of the present invention to provide such a screenconstructed of a plurality of cooperating parts which may be fastenedtogether without the use of tools of any kind.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a foldabletraverse screen constructed of a plurality of panels connected togetherand to suitable trolleys by novel connecting devices.

These and other objects and advantages of the present invention willbecome more apparent upon reference to the accompanying description anddrawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary top plan view of the screen of the presentinvention taken substantially along lines 11 of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 2 is an elevation view, partly broken away, of a screenconstructed according to the present invention;

FIGURE 3 is a horizontal section taken substantially along lines 3-3 ofFIGURE 2;

FIGURE 4 is a top plan view, partly broken away, of a screen constructedaccording to the present invention in its folded position;

FIGURE 5 is an exploded perspective view of some various componentswhich make up a screen according to the present invention;

FIGURE 6 is an exploded perspective view of some of the components ofthe screen according to the present invention;

FIGURE 7 is a sectional detail showing the manner in which the panels ofthe screen are connected together;

FIGURE 8 is a vertical section taken along lines 8-8 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 9 is a perspective view showing some of the screen components incooperating relationship; and

FIGURE 10 is a horizontal section taken along lines 1010 of FIGURE 8.

Briefly, the present invention envisions the construction of a foldabletraverse screen of a plurality of panels, the panels being joinedtogether by quick connecting hinge joints. The hinge joints are alsoused to join the panels with trolley supporting members, the trolleysthereof being installed in an overhead track.

Referring now to the several figures, there is shown a screen 10constructed according to the teachings of the "ice present invention andmounted in a track 12 by means of suitable trolleys 14 which run alongrails 18. The screen 10 is constructed of a plurality of panels 20,lateral trolley supporting members 22 and lateral bottom members 24, allof the foregoing being joined together by elongated hinge joints 26. Theends of the screen are provided with elongated closure members 28.

The nature of these various components can best be seen by reference toFIGURES 5, 6, and 7. As can be seen from these figures, each of thepanels 20 includes spaced parallel cylindrical end strips 34 and 36. Thebody of the panel includes five Web portions 38, 40, 42, 44 and 46, theweb portions 38 and 46 lying in the plane joining the centers of theparallel end strips 34 and 36, the web portions 40 and 44 lying on oneside of this plane and the web portion 42 lying on the other side of theplane. The various web portions 38, 40, 42, 44 and 46 are joined by webportions 48, 50, 52, and 54 which extend at an angle to the planejoining the centers of the end strips 34 and 36.

Each of the elongated hinge joints 26 comprises a U-shaped member 60from the base of which extends a T-shaped protrusion 62. As can be seenfrom FIGURE 7, the member 60 and protrusion 62 form a pair ofrectangular channels 64 and 66 having access slots 68 and 70 into whichthe cylindrical end strips 34 and 36 can be forcibly inserted. The hingejoints are made of a semiresilient material such as plastic so that theslots can be made narrower than the diameter of the end strips. Once theend strips have been so inserted, the panels can pivot through an angleof almost 90 degrees so that two adjacent panels can be folded inparallel relationship.

The horizontal trolley supporting members 22 include a pair of spacedparallel cylindrical end strips 74 and 76 which are of the same diameterand adapted for alignment with the end strips 34 and 36 of the panel 20.The end strips 74 and 76 are joined by a pair of web portions 78 and 80and a central body portion 82. The web portions 78 and 80 are ofapproximately the same thickness as the web portions 38 and 46 so thatthe member 22 may also be mounted for pivotal movement in the elongatedhinge joint 26. The bottom of the member 82 is provided with a recess 84which is adapted to receive the upper portion of the panel 20 as can beseen in FIGURE 10. The undersurface of the member 22 is also providedwith channels 86 and 88 for receiving the web portions 38 and 46 of thepanel 20. The manner in which the panel 20 and member 26 fit together isclearly shown in FIGURE 9. If desired, the member 22 may be providedwith recesses 90 in the upper portion thereof in order to decrease theamount of material necessary in its manufacture.

As can be seen from FIGURE 8, the trolley 14 includes a generally ovalshaped body 92 having first and second passageways 94 and 96 extendingtherethrough. The passageway 94 serves to hold the upper end of aneyelet 08 which extends downwardly through a passageway 100 in the body92. The curved portion of the eyelet 98 engages a pin 102 supported inthe member 22. The passageway 96 supports an axle 104 on which ismounted a pair of wheels 106 and 108. Preferably, this whole assembly,except for the eyelet 98 and axle 104, are made of plastic, as are allthe other components of the screen.

At either end of the screen, there is provided an elongated closuremember 28 which is generally C-shaped and which is provided with anaccess slot 116 for receiving one of the end strips 34 or 36 togetherwith the corresponding end strip 74 or 76. As was the case with thehinge joint 26, the access slot is narrower than the diameter of the endstrips so that once they are forcibly inserted they are retained inplace. The top and bottom of these closure members 28 are provided withend plates 118 which prevent the closure members from sl d ng off theend strips. In a similar manner, the hinge oints 26 are also providedwith end plates 120 for the same pur pose. It should be noted that thehorizontal bottom members 24 are generally similar to the trolleysupporting members 22 with the sole difference being that they do notsupport a trolley.

In assemblying the screen of the present invention, each alternate panelmay be positioned in the reverse order to the one preceding andfollowing it. This can :be seen from FIGURES 3 and 7 in which the webportions 40, 42 and 44 are on different sides of the plane joining thecenters of the end strips of the respective panels. ThlS is notnecessary however as the panels may be arranged in any order which isaesthetically pleasing to the assembler.

As can be seen from the several figures, and in particular FIGURES 1, 3and 7, access slots of the hinge joints are dimensioned in such a mannerthat the various panels when assembled are never parallel to each otherin the open position but rather extend at angles from the hinge joints.Such an arrangement is necessary in order that air circulation throughthe room in which screen is located is not completely blocked. Thismanner of assembling allows air to circulate freely up along the panelsand thence between the panel and the track 12 and the Wall on which thetrack is supported. If the panels could become parallel with each other,such circulation would not be possible. As can be seen from FIGURE 4,the use of the hinge joints and panel assembly of the present inventionenable the panels to be folded into a compact area when they are not inuse, the panels and trolley supporting members being parallel and inabutting relation- From the foregoing description, it can be seen that afolding traverse screen or curtain has been provided which is easilyassembled and installed and which can be folded into a compact area whennot in use. The various panels and joints can be made in elongatedsections and cut to fit any particular application. All of the membersmay be easily put together or taken apart by hand and thus the size ofthe screen can be changed very quickly and easily. This contributesgreatly to the versatility of the screen. The entire screen can be madeof inexpensive plastic materials formed by suitable molding or extrudingprocesses to the required shape, the screen as a whole having adecorative and aesthetically pleasing appearance.

The invention may be embodied in other specific forms not departing fromthe spirit or central characteristics thereof. The present embodimentsare therefore to be considered in all respects as illustrative and notrestrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the appendedclaims rather than by the foregoing description, and all changes whichcome within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims aretherefore intended to be embraced therein.

I claim:

1. A foldable screen comprising in combination:

a plurality of panels, each of said panels having a pair of spacedparallel cylindrical end strips and a rigid web portion extendingbetween said end strips;

a plurality of end members corresponding in number to the number ofpanels, each of said end members having a pair of spaced parallelcylindrical end strips, a body portion and web portions joining said endstrips with said body portion, said body portion having a recess thereinreceiving a portion of one of said panels whereby the end strips of saidend member and the end strips of said panel are in alignment; and

a plurality of elongated joint members hingedly connecting each of saidpanels and its corresponding end member with another panel and endmember,

h of said joint members having a pair of channels therein for receivingthe end strips of a pane and end member, said joint members having anacc slot for each of said channels, said access slots being narrowerthan the diameter of said end str p Sald end strips being inserted intosaid channels and retained therein.

2. A foldable screen comprising in combination:

a plurality of panels, each of said panels having a pa of spacedparallel cylindrical end strips and a rlgld Web portion extendingbetween said end strips and connected thereto;

a lurality of lateral end members cooperating with said panels, an endmember being provided for each end of each of said panels, each of saidend members having a pair of spaced parallel cylindrical end strips, abody portion and web portions joining said end strips with said bodyportion, said body portion having a recess therein receiving one end ofone of said panels whereby the end strips of said panel and the endstrips of said end members are in alignment;

a plurality of elongated joint members hingedly connecting each of saidpanels and its associated end members with another panel and its endmembers, each of said joint members having a pair of longitudinalchannels therein receiving the end strips of a panel and its associatedend members, said joint members having an access slot for each of saidchannels, said access slots being narrower than the diameter of said endstrips, said end strips being inserted into said channels and retainedtherein; and trolley means mounted on the end members at one end of saidpanels, said trolley means being adapted to engage an overhead track.

3. A foldable traverse screen for mounting on an overhead track,comprising in combination:

a plurality of panels, each of said panels having a pair of spacedparallel cylindrical end strips and a rigid web portion extendingbetween said end strips and connected thereto, said web portion having aplurality of sections lying in parallel but displaced planes;

a plurality of lateral end members cooperating with said panels, an endmember being provided for each end of each of said panels, each of saidend members having a pair of spaced parallel cylindrical end strips, abody portion and web portions joining said end strips with said bodyportion, said body portion having a recess therein receiving one end ofone of said panels whereby the end strips of said panel and the endstrips of said end members are in alignment;

a plurality of elongated joint members hingedly connecting each of saidpanels and its associated end members with another panel and its endmembers, each of said joint members having a pair of longitudinalchannels therein for receiving the end strips of a panel and itsassociated end members, said joint members having an access slot foreach of said channels, said access slots being narrower than thediameter of said end strips, said end strips being inserted into saidchannels and retained therein;

a pair of longitudinal end members connected to the first and lastpanels and their associated lateral end members, each of saidlongitudinal end members having a channel formed therein for receivingthe end strips of said panels and end members and an access slot forsaid channel, said access slot being narrower than the diameter of saidend strips, said end strips being inserted into said channels andretained therein; and

trolley means mounted on the end members at one end of said panels, saidtrolley means being adapted to rollably engage said overhead track.

and the end strips of said end members are in alignment; plurality ofelongated joint members hingedly con- 4. A foldable traverse screen formounting on an overhead track, comprising in combination:

a plurality of panels, each of said panels having a a pair of spacedparallel cylindrical end strips and a rigid web portion extendingbetween said end strips and connected thereto;

plurality of lateral end members cooperating with said panels, an endmember being provided for each end of each of said panels, each of saidend members having a pair of spaced parallel cylindrical end 10 forminga pair of channels, the ends of the upstandstrips, a body portion andweb portions joining ing legs of the U-shaped portion and the ends ofsaid end strips with said body portion, said body the cross bar of theT-shaped portion forming a pair portion having a recess thereinreceiving one end of access slots for said channels, the distance beofone of said panels whereby the end strips of said tween the ends of theupstanding legs and the ends panel and the end strips of said membersare in of the cross bar being less than the diameter of alignment; saidend strips of said panel and end members, plurality of elongated jointmembers hingedly consaid joint members being constructed of a materialnecting each of said panels and its associated end permitting said endstrips to be forced through said members with another panel and its endmembers, access slots into said channels and then retaining each of saidjoint members having a generally U- said end strips in said channels,said end strips being shaped portion and a T-shaped portion protrudinginserted into said channels;

from the center of the base of the U-shaped pora pair of longitudinalend members connected to the tion, said U-shaped portion and saidT-shaped por first and last panels and their associated lateral end tionforming a pair of channels, the ends of the members, each of saidlongitudinal end members upstanding legs of the U-shaped portion and thehaving a channel formed therein receiving the end ends of the cross barof the T-shaped portion formstrips of said panels and lateral endmembers and ing a pair of access slots for said channels, the disanaccess slot for said channel, said access slot betance between the endsof said upstanding legs and ing narrower than the diameter of said endstrips, the end of said cross bar being less than the diameter saidlongitudinal end member being constructed of of said end strips of saidpanel, said joint members a mat rial permitting said end strips to beforced being constructed of a material permitting said end through saidslot into said channel and then restrips to be forced through saidaccess slots into said taining said end strips in said channel; and

channels and then retaining said end strips in said trolley meansmountfid 011 the 6nd members t 0 6 channels, said end strips beinginserted into said nd of said panels, said trolley means being adaptedchannels; and to rollably engage said overhead track.

trolley means mounted on the end members at one end of said panels, saidtrolley means being adapted to engage said overhead track.

6. The screen of claim 5 wherein said ends of said upstanding legs ofsaid U-shaped portion and the ends of said cross bar of said T-shapedportion are dimensioned to permit said panels to assume a parallelrelationship with said upstanding legs of said U-shaped portion but notwith said cross bar of said T-shaped portion.

5. A foldable traverse screen for mounting on an overhead track,comprising in combination:

a plurality of panels, each of said panels having a pair of spacedparallel cylindrical end strips and a rigid web portion extendingbetween said end strips and connected thereto, said web portions havinga plurali- References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS ty ofsections lying in parallel but displaced planes; 553,931 2/96 P k160-199 a plurality of lateral end members cooperating with 2,885,0005/59 Merrill 160-499 said panels, an end member being provided for each2,952,312 9/60 Young et al. 160 199 end of each of said panels, each ofsaid end mem- 2,994,371 8/61 Marseth et a1. 160-231 bers having a pairof spaced parallel cylindrical end 3,033,283 5/62 Jorgensen -206 strips,body portion and web portions joining said FOREIGN PATENTS end stripswith said body portion, said body portlon 222,310 12/61 Austria.

having a recess therein receiving one end of one of said panels wherebythe end strips of said panel HARRISON R MOSELEY Primary Examiner

1. A FOLDABLE SCREEN COMPRISING IN COMBINATION: A PLURALITY OF PANELS,EACH OF SAID PANELS HAVING A PAIR OF SPACED PARALLEL CYLINDRICAL ENDSTRIPS AND A RIGID WEB PORTION EXTENDING BETWEEN SAID END STRIPS APLURALITY OF END MEMBERS CORRESPONDING IN NUMBER TO THE NUMBER OFPANELS, EACH OF SAID EACH MEMBERS HAVING A PAIR OF SPACED PARALLELCYLINDRICAL END STRIPS, A BODY PORTION AND WEB PORTIONS JOINING SAID ENDSTRIPS WITH SAID BODY PORTION, SAID BODY PORTION HAVING A RECESS THEREINRECEIVING A PORTION OF ONE OF SAID PANELS WHEREBY THE END STRIPS OF SAIDEND MEMBER AND THE END STRIPS OF SAID PANEL ARE IN ALIGNMENT; AND APLURALITY OF ELONGATED JOINT MEMBERS HINGEDLY CONNECTING EACH OF SAIDPANELS AND ITS CORRESPONDING END MEMBER WITH ANOTHER PANEL AND ENDMEMBER, EACH OF SAID JOINT MEMBERS HAVING A PAIR OF CHANNELS THEREIN FORRECEIVING THE END STRIPS OF A PANEL AND END MEMBER, SAID JOINT MEMBERSHAVING AN ACCESS SLOT FOR EACH OF SAID CHANNELS, SAID ACCESS SLOTS BEINGNARROWER THAN THE DIAMETER OF SAID END STRIPS, SAID END STRIPS BEINGINSERTED INTO SAID CHANNEL AND RETAINED THEREIN.